With COP28 pageantry over, negotiations become intense
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Teams of veteran negotiators fanned out Friday at the United Nations climate conference with orders to get the strongest, most ambitious agreements possible, especially on the central issue of the fading future of fossil fuels for a dangerously warming planet.
The leadership of climate talks, called COP28, sent out four pairs of veteran and high-level ministers to push countries together on four key but stubborn issues as the summit went into its second week after a day of rest Thursday.
New proposed language on how to curb warming released Friday afternoon strengthened the options for a phase-out of fossil fuels that negotiators could choose from. Four of the five options call for some version of a rapid phase-out.
Major oil-producing nations were always seen as likely to resist that, and late Friday, multiple news organizations reported that OPEC’S top official, Secretary-general Haitham Al Ghais, had written to member countries urging them to reject any text that targets fossil fuels rather than emissions. OPEC didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, called the letter “shameful.”
“These letters show that fossil fuel interests are starting to realize that the writing is on the wall for dirty energy,” Sadow said in a statement. “Their fossil fuels have imperiled the planet, pushed millions of people to the brink of survival and sadly, too many over that line. Climate change is killing poor people around the globe and these petrostates don’t want COP28 to phase out fossil fuels because it will hurt their short-term profits.”
Earlier, Adow had been among environmental advocates who had some qualified optimism about the expanded 27-page draft language.
“The bare bones of a historic agreement is there,” Adow said. “What we now need is for countries to rally behind the stronger of the options and strengthen them further.”